Currently, general anesthesia is widely used in surgeries or examinations for infants, newborns and even fetuses. Reports have demonstrated that some general anesthesia agents may cause long‑term deficits in cognitive learning and memory through inducing neuronal apoptosis and synaptic dysfunction. Therefore, it is of importance to investigate the developmental neurotoxicity induced by general anesthesia drugs and related agents to ensure the health of infants and children. This article summarizes the research progress on the agents that regulate the developmental neurotoxicity induced by general anesthesia drugs. The agents can alleviate the neurotoxicity induced by general anesthesia drugs through reducing cell apoptosis, synaptic damage and hippocampal neuron destruction, decreasing the expression of inflammatory factors, and activating the protective nerve cell pathway.